


the next big thing (starry-eyed child)

by fourteentimes



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Hogsmeade Dates, M/M, blatant disregard for eichi's physical health, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-17 05:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21049391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourteentimes/pseuds/fourteentimes
Summary: Eichi's never been to Hogsmeade, and Leo thinks that's a travesty that must be rectified. And if he gets a cute date out of it, all the better.(Enstars/HP fusion)





	the next big thing (starry-eyed child)

**Author's Note:**

> written for my bff who wanted some content here u go enjoy!!! not beta'd, we die like men. title is from social cues by cage the elephant bc it was suggested.

"Seriously, never?"  


"Seriously never  _ ever _ ," Tenshi says solemnly before his face breaks into that indulgent smile he deserves just for Leo. "I have a weak constitution. Keito would have a fit if he found out. And my family has never allowed it, so I'm afraid I wouldn't even have permission to go in any case."

"Boo, boo!" Leo flops onto Tenshi's hospital bed. But gently so that he doesn't get jostled too much because he still looks like a hard wind will blow him over. "Keito's no fun, and neither's your family! You know what is fun? Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. That's fun!" He crawls up the bed to tuck himself under Eichi's arm where he can reach down and play with his hair because he looks like he needs something to do with his hands. Leo certainly does. His fingers feel itchy from staying so still when he could be composing or playing with new spells. But for Eichi and the satisfied little sigh he gives when he toys with Leo's ponytail, it's worth it.  


"What kind of place is it? It sounds delightful," Eichi says. Except he sounds all sad and distant and like he's trying to pretend like he's not so Leo will keep talking about it and make him feel like he's not missing out on anything and...and…!  


"I've decided!" Leo yells at the room at large. No one shushed him because Sena isn't here to fuss over him, thank Merlin. "I'm going to sneak you out!"  


"Oh? How would you do that, my king?" Eichi sounds amused. Too amused.  


"I have my ways! You don't have to sound so skeptical, you know! I know people too, and they know things! And also the castle tells me things sometimes, so! I'm going to take you to Hogsmeade!" Leo presses a kiss to Eichi's hand. It's cold and frail, but there's still a heart beating in him. Leo can feel it. "And you're gonna like it!"  


"Well then, I guess there's no arguing with that, hmm?" Eichi's voice is even, but his eyes are the most excited Leo's seen in a long time, and Leo knows he's won here. "I can't wait to see what you come up with, my king."  


"Wahaha, of course! Just trust me! We're gonna have a great time!"  


\---

"Leo, you're being lo~ud." Leo whirls around. He knows that voice, but all he sees is a lump in the window seat behind him. "Please shut up or be loud somewhere else."

"Rittsu, is that you?" Leo leans back in his chair, letting it wobble precariously beneath him, to poke at the lump with his wand. It wiggles and unfurls until he can see Ritsu's fluffy black hair and glowing red eyes peeking out. "Rittsu!"

"Le~o, I just told you were being too loud~" Ritsu complains, but he still wobbles over to sit next to Leo at the table he's commandeered. "And it's too early for you to be so loud."

"Okay, I'll pretend like it's not three in the afternoon and therefore not actually early. But just for you, Rittsu!" Leo says, letting his chair fall back hard enough to rattle his teeth. Ritsu mumbles something sleepily to him, pillowing his head on his arms, and Leo stares at him for a few more seconds, thoughts racing.  


Ritsu knows people. Ritsu has a brother who knows lots of people. And they both know the ghosts. And the castle.  


_ Brilliant. _

"Rittsu, I need a favor!" Leo doesn't yell in his ear. He loudly whispers it next to him. The sleepy grunt he gets is as good as any sign to continue. "I want to sneak Tenshi out to Hogsmeade this weekend."  


"This weekend is tomorrow."  


"Yes, that's the weekend, was I not clear?"  


"Leo, you want to take the most heavily guarded person at Hogwarts out of the castle tomorrow."  


"Yes?" Leo pouts. "I thought I was being really straightforward here!"

Ritsu lifts his head with a glare. He even sits up straight for Leo, leaning his chin on his hand as he glances at all of the books he has spread around him. "Why?"

Leo shrugs. "He said he's never been before! I wanted to take him. Like on a date! That's where people go for dates, isn't it?"  


Ritsu's eyebrows disappear into his bangs. Oops? Oops, wait. Wait, maybe he wasn't supposed to mention that part. But, well, it had been on his mind. Leo huffs. Eichi will just deal with it. He always deals with it.

"Leo, you and Ecchan…?" Ritsu's voice trails off incredulously.

"Okay. Yes, but! You can't say anything!" Leo says a little too loudly, but no one comes to shush him yet, so maybe people aren't listening to them then. Good! "I wasn't supposed to say anything even! You have to swear on your honor as Knights!"  


"Or you'll kick me out or something?"  


"I didn't even think of that, but now that you mention it, yes!" Damn his Knights and their getting the best of him.  


"I'm not gonna do anything to hurt you or our Knights, so calm down, king," Ritsu says lazily as he sighs, leaning his head back on the table. "And I definitely don't want to hurt Ecchan, okay? Not just because then I'd have to deal with his Keito or his Wataru, and they're both too annoying."

"Ha, you sound like Sena there!" Leo laughs. The relief he feels is an odd feeling, like a tingling down his spine. He should write a song about it, that weird sensation of something feeling really good and--

No! He shakes his head out. He's getting distracted. Eichi first. Then he can write him that song later and dedicate it to him or something.  


"I can't find anything useful about how to get around this castle, and I've been here for at least an hour already looking," he whines, slumping over his books. "Even though I've found a lot of neat stuff already that I wanted to write masterpieces about! I just wanna find a way out to Hogsmeade that Tenshi can use without the professors catching on! Why does this have to be so hard, huh? Hey Hogwarts, why aren't you easier to sneak out of!"  


Hogwarts does not answer him, but Ritsu snorts and pats him consolingly on the shoulder.  


"There, there, king." Ritsu looks too amused by him, but bullying him into submission doesn't work like it does with Sena, which is just a shame, frankly. "You're in luck."  


"And why would that be, my brave knight Rittsu?" Leo tries not to sound too excited. He fails. Miserably, of course. But Ritsu just laughs at him only a little for it, thankfully.

"I'll show you tomorrow, okay?"

"Rittsu, you're making me wait?!" Leo yells. He throws his hands up, and they almost catch Ritsu in the face, if he hadn't leaned away at the last moment. "But I'm your king! And also its Tenshi!"

"Yeah, but it's funny to see you all strung out like this," Ritsu says with a snicker as he stands and stretches out. His joints pop as he raises his arms and twists, back making some creaky noises that Leo isn't sure are all that healthy. He makes a note on his hand to mention it to Sena later to nag Ritsu about it, just for payback.  


"Fine," Leo says as he scratches his note on his hand. He scowls down at it because it doesn't sass him with shit-eating grins or dumb sleepy sounds. "But this better be worth it then!"  


\---

It's worth it.  


Oh, it's so worth it.  


It's worth all the tossing and turning he did last night and the stressed, late-night compositions that made Keito throw a book at him when he made too much noise and the skeptical and snide, but overly polite comments Eichi kept making their whole journey here. And also stopping to make sure that Eichi can catch his breath too because Ritsu neglected to mention just how long of a walk it was, the asshole.  


Leo can rip him one for that later, though, because above their heads is  _ actually  _ Honeydukes, and that means that they really have reached Hogsmeade.  


"So? Am I your favorite now?" Ritsu calls up from where he's leaning cheekily against the bottom of the stairs. "I'm better than Secchan now, right?"  


"Oh, absolutely! I'll let Sena know that his status as my favorite has been revoked as of exactly right now!" Leo shouts back, shoving open the trap door, and also catching it before it can make a noise because whew, that would be bad to let anyone know they came up through here.  


"Just let me know when you're ready to go. Do the thing, okay?" Ritsu's voice is faint, but Leo yells back something in the affirmative. It might have been a  _ yes _ . It may also have been an  _ aye _ . It may even have been a  _ whatever _ .  


What matters is Eichi's delighted laugh as they sneak into the main store of Honeydukes. His eyes are practically shining as he takes in all the sweets, colors bursting everywhere with magic and chatter thick in the air. His hand tightens around Leo's, but in the way that Leo is sure means that he's almost too excited to be here. Hopefully.

"So this is Honeydukes, and I know you can probably get this stuff anywhere, but it's pretty great, isn't it?" Is he talking too fast? Can Eichi even hear him over everyone else? Is it hot in here? Leo might be sweating a little. Oh, hell. Is his hand getting sweaty too? "Tenshi?"

"I love it."  


The way Eichi looks at him makes Leo's heart lurch in his chest. Because Eichi looks like he's about to cry, but in a good way, and also looks like he's having a lot of feelings about Leo also in a good way, and also-also looks happier than Leo's ever seen him, and also-also-also he looks adorable and Leo wants to kiss him. A lot.  


"It's so colorful," Eichi says with a laugh as he wanders over to one of the shelves and picks up a chocolate frog, turning it over in his hands. "I never get to open these myself, did you know that? I didn't even know the cards came with frogs at all until I came to Hogwarts."  


"Let me buy you some!" Leo bursts out, fumbling as he grabs--ten? He thinks there are ten in his hands. "And anything else you want too!"

"Oh my, you're being rather gentlemanly, aren't you?" Eichi giggles, but in a not very girlish way, and it makes Leo's cheeks heat as he shifts. "I  _ am _ the Tenshouin heir. Money on things like this would be trivial."

"Yes, but this is a date!" Leo says in a huff, trying to put back some of the frogs. Three--no, four is a better number than ten. With four, they get two frogs each. Win-win. "Okay, fine, but ten is probably too much, I know that! So I have four instead, and that's better, so--hey why are you looking at me like that?"  


"A date?"

Is he losing it? Why does everybody keep repeating what he says? Does he really need to be that much more straightforward with people?  


"Sorry, do I need to talk louder, I know it's really noisy in here!" Leo tugs Eichi closer so he's more in range, shoving the frogs into his hands as he glances around for more sweets. "This is a date! People go to Hogsmeade for dates!"

"That's awfully forward of you, my king." Is Eichi warm? It's pretty stuffy in Hogsmeade with how many people are starting to pile in.  


"Well, you're my boyfriend, aren't you? I've got a cute name for you and everything! Boyfriends go on dates!" Leo almost grabs a box of Bertie's, but maybe Eichi is too delicate for that? Better not. "So this is me taking you on a date! Wahaha☆!"  


"Then I'm in your care, Leo," Eichi says as he lets Leo steer him through the store. They only stumble out after Eichi's laden with almost too many sweets for him to carry in his twiggy arms because  _ one of them _ was too stubborn to ask for a bag.  


"Where to next, then, my king?" Eichi's smile is infectious, and Leo can't help laughing delightedly at the nickname. He plucks a frog from the top of Eichi's precariously balanced pile, stroking it under its chin to spell it still so he can feed it to Eichi as they walk. "I believe you promised me some wizarding wheezes, no?"  


"Yes, but you can't carry anything else with all that!" Leo snatches some off the pile so that they can at least hold hands. Good. Because his hands are freezing, and so are Eichi's, and at least this way they can be cold together. "So we'll have to do that next time! Don't get so excited by all the candy next time!"  


"As I recall, it was you who was grabbing everything off the shelves, not me," Eichi says. The grin on his face gives him away, though. It only grows when Leo sticks his tongue out at him, but whatever.  


"I was just making sure you would get to try all the best stuff!" Leo huffs. "Just be glad I didn't grab any Bertie's and make you try the gross ones! We did that to Suo~ once and he didn't talk to me for a week, it was really funny!"  


"Hmm, I'm thankful you're so generous with me then, my king," Eichi says with a laugh. The fall air is brisk, and leaves crunch understep, but the sun hasn't set yet, and Eichi looks like he's still holding up okay. And also like he doesn't hate Leo.  


So, like. That's a great sign there.  


"I'll show you next time, though, I promise," Leo says solemnly as they reach the end of the little lane that marks Hogsmeade. There's no students this far from the main bustle of the shops, so Leo gets to squeeze Eichi's hand and lean up to kiss him on the cheek like he's been wanting to do since they set foot in Honeydukes. "I'm dragging you back here as many times as I can before we graduate, till you're sick of this place and begging me not to."  


"Are you threatening me or being romantic?" Eichi leans in. He smells a little sweet and a little herby and a little like the outdoors.

"I think you like a little bit of both," Leo mumbles and meets Eichi halfway. Eichi's mouth is soft and chapped against his, and the angle isn't ideal, still holding hands and also a bunch of candy, but Leo doesn't care because he can taste the chocolate in Eichi's mouth.  


"Well, if you're done with that, I'm supposed to escort you back. Kuma said he wanted to go take a nap and made me come get you, so~o annoying."  


"Wahaha, Sena, you shouldn't peep on your king like that!" Leo shouts, jerking back and trying to play it like usual: being really, really loud. And maybe Izumi will think the blush on his cheeks is from the cold air. Totally casual.  


"Leader, that was kind of indecent." And of course Izumi brought the newbie too. Of course he did. Because all of his Knights have to know how embarrassing he is. Obviously. Obviously he's going to die. Leo groans, bringing a hand up to hide his face. The hand still holding Eichi's. Fuck--

Except Eichi doesn't even let go of his hand. He doesn't even look  _ mad _ as he drags Leo behind him to where Izumi and Tsukasa are waiting for them.  


"So we have chaperones now? I'm flattered that you're all looking out for your king's virtue like this," Eichi says brightly as they walk, heading back for Honeydukes. "And that you think I'm so dastardly that I'd steal it right from under your noses."  


Izumi scoffs, holding open the door for them both and also an uncertain looking Tsukasa. "As though we both don't know that Leo is the one who's more likely to try something."  


"Hey, I was being a gentleman! Tenshi even said so!"  


"Tenshi?!" Tsukasa squawks. "You call him--?!"

"I think it's a rather cute pet name, don't you?" Eichi looks too pleased at Leo's dumb naming sense. But it may also be because Tsukasa is flushing redder and redder until he's almost the same shade as his hair and hes spluttering even as Izumi shoves him down into the cellar and the secret stairs. "I quite like it. Too bad I haven't come up with anything suitable for Leo either."  


"Leader, you--!"  


"Relax, Suo~, relax!" Leo laughs, and it feels a little too bright even for him, but if he doesn't laugh, then he's going to feel embarrassed, and pass. He'd rather laugh with his Knights instead. "I'm allowed to! But that's my name for him, you can't go around using it, okay?" He doesn't mean to sound so possessive, but ah, messing with the kid is fun, and Eichi just smiles pleasantly, squeezing Leo's hand tight.  


"Gross, I don't want to watch you guys be this cute everywhere. You know I was really comfortable napping before Kuma went and woke me up for this? You better repay me for this later, king," Izumi says. He snatches some of Leo's sweets away before he picks up his pace before Leo can even object. "Consider this a tax. I'm going ahead, c'mon already, Kasa. Leave them alone, they're just gonna get more lovey-dovey and you're too young for that kind of thing."  


"Excuse me, Sena-senpai, just what are you implying they're going to be doing?!" Tsukasa doesn't even spare them a backwards glance and Leo could kiss Izumi for his quick thinking. Except not really. Because he has Eichi to kiss instead, humming happily as they walk the tunnel back to the castle.  


Eichi has such a pretty voice, Leo decides. And only a little because he wants to hear Eichi sing for him for, like, ever. He'll write him more music, he decides, more things that show off how pretty he sounds, just like--hey, actually. The tune sounds familiar, almost like...

"Hey! That's my song!" Leo says happily, nearly jostling all the sweets out of his grasp when he picks up the melody. "You listened to it! You listened to it and you sang it and--"  


And what? Leo's heart is thudding so loud in his chest now, Eichi must be able to hear it like this. His cheeks are flushed, and he hasn't, he doesn't even know how to finish that sentence. Because he's brilliant, and so is everything he's ever written, obviously, but this is  _ Eichi _ with  _ his _ music. It makes him feel all hot and too small for his skin and also like he can't breathe a little. It makes him feel like he's drowning in his own feelings, but also like he doesn't want to stop somehow.  


"I was really happy that you gave me anything at all," Eichi says softly, carefully, and the halting way he talks makes Leo's heart go all soft and achy for him. "All your music is really beautiful, and you still took the time to write me something incredible. I almost couldn't believe it, that someone like me could receive something so special, completely free of any obligation at all. I thought, 'That's enough already. No need to be greedy, asking for more.' And then you gave me this afternoon, and--"

"I love you, Eichi."  


Leo doesn't know where it comes from, but he says it evenly, confidently. More confidently than he feels, because he thinks that his stomach is twisting in knots a little when he realises the magnitude of what he just said. Also he might be going crazy because Eichi doesn't look pissed at him for it, and maybe that's why he keeps going.  


"I always really liked you, but you're kind of sad sometimes, and I don't know if what I'm doing makes it better! I guess it's better than nothing, or feeling like I'm doing nothing? When I just want to make you smile! Because you deserve it! To be happy and for everyone to not be so scared of you and see what I see! That you're a really great person, and that I. Love you," Leo finishes lamely. He wants to run after Izumi and Tsukasa and laugh with them about this whole situation. Or go hide under his bed. Or look anywhere except Eichi who just blinks at him and smiles all soft and sweet at Leo.  


"I'm not great at showing these things, I think," Eichi says casually, and Leo can already feel his stomach scrunch in on itself with embarrassment. "But I really like you too, if that's all right."  


"What? You--?" Leo doesn't mean to stop, but the acoustics in this tunnel have to be messing with him somehow. Right?  


"Is that all right?" Eichi looks so sweet and uncertain, and Leo doesn't care that he manages to drop everything when he wraps his arms around Eichi to hug him as tight as he can without breaking him.  


"Yeah, that's--that's perfect." 

**Author's Note:**

> you can follow my writing twitter [@satiIIquinart](https://twitter.com/satiIIquinart) for updates!


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